Born Free USA applauds the reintroduction today of the Big Cat Public Safety Act (S. 1210) in the U.S. Senate. Reintroduced by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Richard Burr (D-NC), this bipartisan and now bicameral bill would strengthen existing law to better protect public safety and improve animal welfare by banning the private possession of big cat species. This important bill also bans all direct contact of big cat species by the public, thus removing a significant incentive to breed big cats for profit.
Said Liz Tyson, Programs Director of Born Free USA: “This important legislation seeks to end the cruelty of private ownership of big cats across the nation, as well as the unacceptable danger that the keeping of these dangerous wild animals in captive environment poses to members of the public. Born Free USA is delighted that this bill, which has been a flagship legislative issue for us for many years, has today been introduced in the Senate. The successful passage of this bill will protect countless animals from miserable lives in captivity and countless people from unnecessary harm.”
Currently, thousands of big cats live in confined and cruel captivity across the United States, forced to live in unnatural and substandard conditions that cannot begin to meet even their most basic needs. Even with the most well-intentioned private owners, these wild animals languish without sufficient space, veterinary care, diets, or opportunities for enrichment and socialization.
Keeping big cats in captivity is also a serious and sometimes fatal risk to public safety. Big cats are wild animals that belong in their natural habitats – they cannot be fully tamed and are not domesticated. The inadequate and claustrophobic nature of captivity can often prompt wild animals to respond aggressively and dangerously, leading to countless and needless incidents of attacks and escapes.
Fortunately, awareness of this dangerous and cruel reality is growing among members of Congress and the citizens they represent, and they are looking to act. Last Congress, the Big Cat Public Safety Act enjoyed unprecedented attention and movement on Capitol Hill, and eventually passed the U.S. House of Representatives last December. Born Free USA has worked on this legislation since it was first introduced in 2011, and calls on the 117th Congress to act quickly to pass this bill.
